Engineering solutions for the future

From solar farms in Western Australia to technical services in China, Cromarty delivers big business outcomes with small business soul.

If you haven’t heard of the Tasmanian company Cromarty, it might be because you haven’t required a manufacturing execution system, a pharmaceutical batch distillation system or a largescale irrigation pipeline. For more than a quarter of a century, this Launceston-born business, founded by William and Penny Cromarty has gathered intelligent minds to provide world-class solutions.

From its humble beginnings as an engineering firm with a handful of employees, Cromarty has grown to become an industry leader with around 90 employees and offices in Brisbane, Melbourne, Devonport, Launceston and Hobart. Expanding from its engineering foundations, today Cromarty delivers technical services and product sales across a board range of industries.

“Developing this company in Tasmania versus a higher population area, we had to be a little more like the country doctor, not over specialised,” explains Sales Manager Daniel O’Shea who has been with the Cromarty team for nearly two decades. “Working in so many different industries across mining, pharmaceuticals, food and beverage, water and waste water, gives us more depth. Being in a smaller economy, we are able to spread our risk across those different verticals.”

The company’s capabilities are broad, offering electrical, automation and business improvement solutions for industrial manufacturing, utilities and process plants. While most of their clients are Tasmanian based, the company has found increasing demands for their personalised services across Australia and beyond.

“It is our skilled individuals that set us apart,” adds O’Shea. “The calibre of engineering students here in Tasmania is very impressive. We typically take on an engineering graduate each year and also run a scholarship with UTAS, sponsoring a third and fourth year student. Essentially, it’s what our whole business is about, working with intelligent minds, so we enjoy this close relationship with UTAS.”

As the Hobart office looks set to move to bigger premises, the future looks bright for Cromarty. Indeed, just recently Cromarty acquired another engineering company, Clear Water Controls. But it’s more than work. “Personally, I find Tasmania a beautiful place to live,” smiles O’Shea. “The ease of living here and raising a young family suits us well.”

“Overall, it’s really exciting with the services we provide too – there’s a growing market for automation and process control. As a society, we always want our kids to have a better lifestyle than our own and the only way we can do that is to have better efficiencies in our supply chain. Cromarty are part of those solutions and I find that exciting for our future.”